Letters from our April 2016 Issue

I have always enjoyed the writing of Mike Busch, but I must take exception to some of the opinions he expressed in his recent article about Special Light Sport aircraft (SLSA) maintenance and flight into instrument meteorological conditions by SLSAs.

A few years ago when the FAA began more focused oversight of the SLSA industry, it found that although the overall safety record of the industry was good, some of the documentation of a few manufacturers was lacking. It also saw that several manufacturers were advertising and selling “IFR approved” products.

Although the FAA regulation on IFR use was ambiguous, as Busch noted, it was pointed out that SLSA aircraft were not intended to be operated in IMC. It was felt that our standards, while fine for day and night VFR, were not adequate for planned flight into IMC. We had a choice as a committee to restrict the use of our products for flight into known IMC or lose the possibility of developing increased requirements for flight into known IMC, which as the industry has matured we are now ready to do. It was not collusion by the SLSA manufacturers to reduce our liability and trick our customers.

The use of advanced EFIS systems with synthetic vision was implied as a waste on SLSAs. I disagree. Our customers’ safety is every bit as important to them as it is to owners of other general aviation aircraft. The situational awareness provided by synthetic vision, coupled autopilots, and ADS-B In is the way of the future and should be inexpensively available to all aircraft owners. I am certain that some of our owners have used the systems and the capable autopilots to bail themselves out of tough situations. That is quite different from taking off in a snowstorm to fly to Cincinnati.

Tom Peghiny
AOPA 801261
President, Flight Design USA
South Woodstock, Connecticut

I enjoyed Mike Busch’s article and was pleased at the discussion of re-registering SLSAs as Experimental. I bought a 2012 Sky Arrow and wanted to upgrade it by adding an angle of attack indicator, which was as simple as changing out the pitot tube to the Dynon-supplied one. As he noted, that cannot be done on a SLSA without a letter of authorization, which the airframe manufacturer was unwilling to supply because it had concerns about the calibration if I did the installation. Never mind that I am an A&P and have built three aircraft, and that the calibration process is individual to each airplane.

I reregistered the airplane as Experimental. I was warned that doing so would negatively affect the value of my airplane. Since doing so I have added the AOA and ADS-B In, modified the tail spring, changed the main gear tires to Michelins, and added a port in the glareshield to give access to the back of the panel. I am considering adding lateral trim.

I am convinced I have enhanced the value of my airplane because I can present it as having been factory built, but with enhancements not available on factory machines, and with the option of additional enhancements that a purchaser might personally desire.

David McConnell
AOPA 211060
Novata, California 

Pilots: Caitlyn Jenner

Looking to the April issue of AOPA Pilot, it seems that AOPA has fixed all legitimate GA issues and is looking for something else to do. Therefore it has decided to introduce itself into gender-identity politics. Mercifully for the AOPA membership, the toilets on aircraft are always single user.

Eliacim Cortes
AOPA 5357038
Arlington, Texas

One of the things that have always been a part of general aviation and its press has been the total lack of political “correctness” concerning sexual orientation. It was about flying and all the joy, trials, and triumphs it entails. To find an article in AOPA Pilot promoting a transgender pilot, regardless of his success as a sports figure, is a sad day for AOPA. This whole topic has no place in aviation, and you do no one a favor writing an article like this.

Hugh G. Dudley
AOPA 856677
Albion, New York

I’ve followed Barry Schiff for years and enjoyed his articles. But he lost me with the Jenner article in AOPA Pilot. I don’t think a publicity-seeking nut from Hollywood has a place in the magazine.

Doug Ehmann
AOPA 986804
Phoenix, Maryland

When Bruce Jenner opened his aircraft sales company I was annoyed, thinking it just another example of a famous person trying to capitalize on his name in a business. I had no idea until today that he/she had a sincere interest in aviation. Four thousand hours isn’t all that much, but it isn’t just a few hundred hours, either. I hope Ms. Jenner enjoys her Bonanza and whatever flying pleasure it brings.

William Zollinger
AOPA 569727
Cordova, Tennessee

As a longtime member, I want to send a quick thank-you to AOPA for its position of inclusion with regard to the Caitlyn Jenner profile. Being an Airbus pilot, I have worked with transgender men and women and witnessed firsthand some of the discrimination they can face. I am more proud to say that I support AOPA knowing that it stands for all pilots.

Mike Wallace
AOPA 9243108
Denver, Colorado

Barry Schiff responds: The general aviation airport represents a unique slice of society. It is a place and an activity relatively free of crime, bigotry, and other societal ailments. A pilot’s race, religion, ethnicity, social status, gender, sexual preference, or political persuasion is of no concern. All that matters is his or her passion for wings.

When I recently discovered that Caitlyn Jenner (née Bruce Jenner) was based at my home airport in Camarillo, California, and had just purchased a Beech Bonanza, it seemed natural that I write a profile about her. Jenner was a world-famous Olympic athlete—the first to wave an American flag in victory—and is an accomplished pilot who was returning to flying after an extended absence.

If I had known 10 years ago that Jenner was a pilot, I would have written about him then because he was one of the greatest track-and-field athletes to walk the planet. And he was a pilot. That I only recently learned that she was transgender did not change a thing. That aspect of her life was irrelevant to me and only incidental to her story.

It has always been my goal to write about subjects and people in a way that benefited and was of interest and value to members in one way or another.

We seem to live in an age of polarization. There is no shortage of subjects that divide us. Aviation and belonging to AOPA, it seems, should be the glue that unites us.

Do-it-yourself ADS-B In

In March, our local EAA chapter sponsored a workshop where 50 attendees had the opportunity to hear Chris Young explain Stratux and then assist in several builds. Amazing to see how this project has swept across the country and will be more interesting to see where it is a year from now.

Randy Passeno
AOPA 1395022
Grand Rapids, Michigan

Errata

In the March 2016 installment of “Dogfight,” we asserted that an FAA-approved instrument approach was one in which the full procedure, including the missed approach, must be performed in order to earn credit. The statement is not true; the missed approach procedure is not required for credit toward instrument currency.

A list of aviation history sites in “Summer Camp” (March 2016 AOPA Pilot) incorrectly stated that visitors to the Sikorsky Aircraft facility in Connecticut may sit at Igor Sikorsky’s desk. The office is infrequently available for viewing behind a protective screen, and no one is allowed to enter.

The May issue of AOPA Pilot contained an incorrect airplane identification in the caption on page 50. The airplane pictured is a Lockheed 12A.

AOPA Pilot regrets the errors.

We welcome your comments. Editor, AOPA Pilot, 421 Aviation Way, Frederick, Maryland 21701 or email ([email protected]). Letters may be edited for length and style before publication.

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Hangar Talk

When AOPA Photographer Chris Rose reviewed his photographs from Alpine, Wyoming (see “Living a Western Life,” p. 58), the picturesque airpark’s scenery shone through in vivid colors. In fact, it was one of the few times in recent memory Rose has actually had to desaturate the images from a photo shoot. “The blues were so blue, the greens were so green, the oranges were so orange that it almost didn’t seem real,” said Rose of the region that has earned itself the nickname “America’s Little Switzerland.” There really is something for everyone in this outdoorsman’s haven: fishing, hunting, boating, and, of course, flying. But as much as the area’s natural grandeur impressed Rose, he said the best part of his visit was the hospitality of Alpine’s residents. “They’re as proud of their community as we are to feature it,” Rose said. “They understand how good they have it.”